The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of the Compositae family. The new variety, a member of the species Osteospermum fruticosum (L.) Norl., named xe2x80x98Kakegawa AU4xe2x80x99. This species is one of several species of Osteospermum that are commonly referred to as Cape Daisy.
The new variety originated as a first generation hybrid seedling following four generations of random intercrossing between population selections. All crosses were done at the Sakata Seed Corporation, Chogo Research Station in Chogo Prefecture, Japan. The objective of this breeding program was to develop plants with suitable form for pot culture that also possessed large flowers that would stay open into the evening hours. The flowers of Osteospermum fruticosum (L.) Norl. usually close under low light conditions, such as in the evening.
In 1989, the Osteospermum fruticosum (L.) Norl. breeding population was initiated that produced the female parent of the initial cross of this variety. Five generations of plant selection and intercrossing occurred until breeding line 573 was selected in 1994. Plant selection was made for the yellow petal color and flowers that remained open in the afternoon or evening.
In 1991, the Osteospermum fruticosum (L.) Norl. breeding population was started that produced the male parent of the initial cross of this variety. Three generations of plant selection and intercrossing occurred until breeding line 601 was selected in 1994. Plant selection was made for yellow petal color and flowers that remained open in the afternoon or evening.
In 1994, line 573 was crossed with line 601. The F1 seed was sown that Fall and in Spring of 1995, line S16 was selected. Line S16 was selected because of its unique white petals with yellow tips and the characteristic of keeping its flowers open late into the afternoon. Line S16 was asexually reproduced by vegetative propagation in Salinas, Calif. during the late summer, 1995 and further evaluated before being renamed xe2x80x98Kakegawa AU4xe2x80x99 in 1996. Further evaluation by the inventor during 1997 and 1998 demonstrated that the new variety""s characteristics were firmly fixed and stable. Since this time the new variety has been trialed and vegetatively propagated at the Sakata Seed Corporation facility in Salinas, Calif. The new variety has been stable and fixed in this environment also.
The new variety has been observed under greenhouse and outdoor conditions in California and Japan. The phenotype of the new plant may vary somewhat with variations in temperature, day length, light intensity or soil media conditions. The observations noted below have been made using multiple 8 month old plants grown in Salinas, Calif. under the following conditions. Shoot tips were rooted in soil plug trays in August. After developing a root ball the plants were transplanted into six-inch diameter pots and grown outdoors through the winter to provide vernalization for flowering. In December, buds were pinched off to promote branching. Winter night temperatures averaged 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. By May of the following year the plants were in full bloom. Average summer daytime temperatures in Salinas range from 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the month and the amount of coastal marine layer cloud cover.